I will ride from Melbourne to the Finke Desert Race on Queen’s Birthday long weekend on 10th - 14th, June 2022. It’s a 7500km trip through the Australian outback. It’s my first time out there and I look forward to checking out Uluru and the many National Parks, pubs and people scattered along the way.
Low-cost, modern and reliable, this 157kg dual purpose bike is perfect to go around the world. It's based on the tried and tested Honda CRF250L and has a larger fuel tank, windshield, and LED headlights. It was picked up second-hand for just under $5,000 AUD with 7,000km on the clock.
You can read more about why I chose the Honda CRF250 Rally here.
Update: 3/3/2020 I made the uncertain and unfortunate call to cancelled the trip after 6 months of dedicated planning and hard work. This is based on a projected spread of the virus and reports of border closures with Iran and China. I expect the virus to become pandemic with further uncertainty and closures. Catching this early means I can stay at work and keep my house. Thank you all for your support.
San Jose to by the side of the road, Newport CA
Rest day - Jet lag
It was a decent campground. I packed up the bike. People were sleeping still so I put the bike in neutral and rolled towards the exit before starting the bike. I road back towards Highway 1 the same way I came in. It was an epic little ride and the views from the top of the mountain were incredible. I could see the road below winding down and noticed a camper van on the side of the road. I wasn’t the only one who struggled to find a campsite.
I woke up on the large puffy air mattress in the back of the dark musky bungalow. It was planted between some old sofas and a tube television with a DVD player. Another rug making machine nestled behind it. I don’t even know how they got there. I got up and inspected the DVDs. Family movies. It must be a play room for the kids. It was filled with junk. Not really a place to write home about. I got up and moved to the smaller room where my suitcase was. I still had so much to pack. Tucker was right, I needed the duffel bag.
I arrived 9:00am local time.
An uneventful day. There was some excitement. But really it was just another trip to the airport. I packed my luggage the night before in a $10 suitcase I bought earlier from Facebook Marketplace. What was I going to do with the suitcase? I couldn’t load it on the bike. I’m sure Tucker would know what to do or I could find a dumpster somewhere.